About Me — Manali Desai
Foodie, Moodie, Broodie.
The statement, “Tell me something about yourself” always freezes me. Like how do I define myself in a few sentences strung together? It especially makes me nervous too, because it takes me back to my job hunting days and the countless interviews I gave.
After three decades of life experience on this planet, I still haven’t mastered the art of talking about myself, but I’ll try.
Hi, I’m Manali Desai.
I’m a 33-year-old, happily married (huh?) woman (still a girl at heart). We do not have any children (at least not any that we’re aware of).
I hail from a small town called Surat in India. I grew up and completed my schooling from there. Once I turned 18, I moved to Mumbai and have since then become a proud Mumbaikar. Currently, my husband and I are NRIs residing in the Netherlands.
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in BMS (Bachelor of Management Studies), an MBA, and an MA in English Literature; all from reputed colleges in Mumbai.
Now, I know the question that popped into your head was, “Why MA after MBA?”
Well, because, after dabbling here and there, I realized that literature is where I belong. (better late than never, right?)
If that made you roll your eyes, here’s another biggie.
My work experience is as varied as my educational degrees. I have worked as a Marketing Executive, a Teacher, and a Content Writer, only to realize that full-time jobs aren’t my thing.
I now work as a full-time freelance writer and editor cum blogger. Apart from my ad-hoc writing and editing assignments, I manage my own blog A Rustic Mind (Trivia: A Rustic Mind is my pen name on all social media platforms, including Medium) where I share book reviews, travel experiences, life anecdotes, inspiring human stories, poetry, and flash fiction.
In my journey as a writer so far, I have also authored five solo books, been a part of two co-authored books, and edited several books for other authors.
Adding more to blowing my own trumpet, I’d like to mention that four of these books have been Amazon bestsellers at one point. In fact, one of my short stories from the co-authored books titled Zista (my story title is The Walls Have Ears), also helped me bag the Best Short Story Award in 2019. Very recently (June 2021 and December 2021) I also bagged the Best Author: Fiction Award and the Book of the Year title for my debut novel Love (Try) Angle. In December 2021, before the release of my latest book, Under the Mistletoe & Other Stories, one of the short stories from the book (titled The (Un)Blind Date) won the Best Short Story title in an online contest.
Now that you know my name, educational and professional background, let’s move on to the less fancy and more personal bits.
What you’d like about me:
- I’m easy to talk to. Yeah, seriously. A simple smile and a gentle word, and I’m all ears to what you gotta say.
- I’m a foodie and a chocolate lover. (here’s proof of my chocolate love) So, feed me good food and I’ll always remember you.
- I have a great sense of humor. (read this for proof)
- I try my best to make people around me feel comfortable. (sometimes at the cost of my own comfort)
- Short, thought-provoking, and relatable content, is my niche. (check this story for proof) So if you’re running short of time, I’m the writer you’re looking for.
- In the past 15 months, I’ve become a fitness enthusiast and a more disciplined person. (check this and this story for some motivation)
- I’m a travel buff and write about my explorations on a regular basis. (check out my stories Travel Tales With M)
- Before a writer, I’m a reader. I have become a professional book reviewer/literary critic since 2020. So if you’re a book lover and reader, you’ll get great book recommendations from me regularly.
- I’m a total movie buff. Ask me about any movie (especially Bollywood) post the 80s, and there’s a 90% chance that I’ve seen it.
- I love music. I often joke that 99% of my brain is song lyrics, which explains why I break into random songs in the middle of a serious conversation or during awkward silences.
- I’m a cricket lover. So much so that I was a part of the women’s cricket team in my school (disclaimer: I wasn’t very good at playing the sport). I have the fondest memories of this sport from my childhood and it continues to bring me happiness even today.
What you won’t like about me:
- I am not very good at keeping in touch, especially via phone calls ( I make up for this by being almost always available on DMs)
- You will never find me without a book. I carry them even at social events which many people frown upon or roll their eyes on.
- I am easily irritated, especially when I’m hungry.
- I’m an overthinker.
- I prefer being alone at least for an hour every day (outside of my working hours). Being surrounded by people isn’t my favorite thing. Crowds make me uncomfortable and nauseous too, at times.
- I’m an ambivert. So my actions, reactions, and my behavior are highly erratic and unpredictable.
I joined Medium in November 2020. But I have only become proactively active (you see what I did there?) since January 2021. Here are a few of my best stories on Medium that will help you understand my personality.
How to contact me
- Connect with me on LinkedIn
- Follow me on Instagram (writer handle), Instagram (book reviews account), and Facebook.
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel.
- Send me an email: [email protected]/[email protected]
